Power Outage
by Tjay M
Summary: A snow storm cuts off power to the tiny little apartment that Ryou shares with his Yami. BxR Fluff.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Power Outage

Chapter Title: White Rain

Rating: T

Pairing(s): Maybe Bakura x Ryou if they get together…

Warning(s): Yaoi, abuse, Bakura OOCness, Blood, cussing.

Beta: Yami Princess

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh…

I wrote this fic back in 2007 and uploaded on here and Mediaminer however good ol FF decided if you don't long in for 3-4 years they can delete you. -_- So I am uploading them all again and if you are on MM feel free to check out the pic I drew for this fic!

~Prologue~

The cold harsh wind blew through the small city of Domino. It was the biggest snow storm in recorded history! The snow was now four feet deep, and the power was flickering. Which takes us to apartment 15E, the home of Bakura, Ryou, who we will call Ryou and his Yami, Bakura, Touzokuoh, who we will call Bakura.

Now Bakura had never seen snow before so he was looking out the window. He did nothing to hide the amazement on his face. "White rain…," the spirit of darkness whispered.

Ryou, on the other hand, saw nothing special about the snow, and paid little attention to it. He was happy his yami was so taken by the 'white rain'. Why you ask? Because his yami was so shocked by 'white rain' he wasn't being mean.

Ryou was surprised because he never seen his yami act like this before. His yami seemed so childish and innocent, so different. Ryou was also happy because school had been canceled, which gave his bruises time to heal.

It also meant he was trapped! The mere thought made Ryou want to scream! He was trapped in his apartment, with Bakura. There was no way in… and no way out! The snow was over four feet deep. No one could save him, and he could not escape.

Ryou sat that the kitchen table, a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. The spirit had been staring out the window for half an hour. Ryou sipped away the steamy drink in hands when the room went dark and lit back up again.

"Hikari-baka… what happened?" Bakura demanded, rising from his spot in front of the window. The spirit's deep crimson eyes flashed of anger, he didn't like be left in the dark (A/N: *snickers*) about things that were happening around him.

"The power flickered because of the snow on the power lines," Ryou explained taking another slip of the steamy chocolate. "Nothing to worry about…." the boy added his last statement was a lie. Ryou disliked the darkness! Bakura was the darkness. His mind would panic and the 'what if's' flooded his thoughts.

Ah, since nothing ever seemed to work in Ryou's favour, the power went out. Everything shut off. Darkness. Alone. Bakura. The three fears that made Ryou want to cry.

Standing up slowly, Ryou felt around to make sure he didn't run into anything, but soon found himself pressed against the fiend he called his darkness.

He was trapped!

He was helpless!

Trapped within his home, trapped with the evil spirit that loved to see him cry. Yes, trapped! Trapped with a killer… with a murderer… Trapped.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Let me know what ya think… and feel free to read some of my newer work such as Touch and Distraction.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Power Outage

Chapter Title: Chapter 1: Candles

Rating: T

Pairing(s): Maybe Bakura x Ryou if they get together…

Warning(s): Yaoi, abuse, Bakura OOCness, Blood, cussing.

Beta: Yami Princess

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh…

Trying to keep Yami no Bakura in character was really hard… but I think I've done it!

Ryou had run right into his yami, "Sorry, Bakura-sama." Ryou apologized quickly backing away from the spirit, hoping that he had not angered him. Why you ask? Well pissing Bakura off was like poking a hornet's nest with a stick… it was something you just didn't do.

"Stupid baka!" Bakura snarled, before smacking his hikari across the face. "Turn the lights back on." Bakura ordered he took a step towards the trembling hikari standing before him.

"I can't do that… it's impossible, we'll have to wait for the storm to stop and the power company to turn the lights back on." Ryou answered, trying not to shake, but his yami scared him. His yami was everything he wasn't; strong, brave, smart, unbelievably hot, powerful and evil. Ryou had always feared the darkness... just the thought being left alone scared him. He wasn't sure what he feared more... Bakura or the darkness.

_Anyways it was this fear of Ryou's that was about to set off a chain of events unlike anything anyone could have thought possible… lets watch and see what happens!_

"Worthless hikari…," Bakura muttered under his breath. He walked by his hikari heading towards the den. Bakura froze when he felt something brush against his arm; he realized Ryou had grabbed a hold of his arm.

"Please… Bakura-sama… don't leave me alone in the dark… please?" Ryou begged his yami, of course this just plain shocked the evil spirit. Why was he shocked? Well lets look at what's happening here:

Ryou is holding onto Bakura's arm for dear life.

Ryou doesn't want Bakura to leave.

Ryou feels safer around his abusive yami then he does alone…

Thus Bakura was shocked! He could barely make out his hikari's face, but he could see pure fear on what was visible. Bakura really wasn't sure how to handle this: should he stay with his annoying hikari or just hit the boy side the head and leave.

Bakura tried to pull his arm free of the boy's grasp, but found it an impossible feat. Ryou had his arm locked in a death grip. You know the 'If I let go I'm going to be eaten by a pack of wild dogs' type of death grip.

"Stupid hikari… let go before I-" The spirit almost jumped out of his skin when Ryou let go his arm only to wrap his arms around him. Ryou was locked in, and he wasn't letting go.

In 5000 years a life _**NOTHING**_like this had ever happened before. Usually people ran the opposite direction of him… not try to get closer. Maybe his hikari was doing some sort of drugs while he wasn't around…-

_Shadow Magic_He sensed it. Just for a minute…

"Please! I don't want to starve to death, I don't want to die!" Ryou begged over-exaggeratedly as he buried his face into Bakura's chest. The spirit was, needless to say, completely stunned. This was getting weirder and weirder. He was also getting angry. But he did not forget about that he felt minutes earlier.

Ryou didn't care anymore. He didn't care if his yami would beat him senseless. He didn't care if his yami was a murderer. He didn't care if he was trapped, and he was too scared to care.

"Hikari!" Bakura tried to sound deadly, but it had no effect on his hikari. What could be scarier than him?

Bakura decided to invade the boy's mind and find out what had his hikari so spooked. As soon as he entered the boy's soul room he was flooded with 'what if's' and fears, "Pathetic…," Bakura glanced at each of Ryou's fears in order, only to find Ryou's fear of him was one of the last things he was scared of at this moment in time.

The spirit was now very puzzled. If his hikari was right, about freezing to death or starving to death, it meant he would die as well, which was not an option! He had to gather the Millennium Items and take over the world, take his revenge on the pharaoh and spend the rest of his immortal life ruling the world alone. Since he knew very little on this situation he would probably have to use his hikari to help him, or help his hikari…

Bakura returned to reality, "Hikari… how long do you think the 'power' will be out?" He asked, trying to pry his hikari off of him.

"At least f-f-five… days. That's how long this st-storm is s-suppose to l-last." Ryou mumbled into Bakura's black button up shirt.

"Hmm… let go of me." Bakura ordered, "Now!" He snapped. Finally Ryou loosen his grip, now it seemed like Ryou was hugging him, which was strange… a new feeling washed over him, a feeling that told him this felt good. He didn't like this feeling. "If you die, I die… it's not happening." Bakura stated. He died once! It wasn't happening again, besides he could do this, it was just like living back in Egypt. He might not know much about today's electrical devices, but he knew how to survive without them, since he didn't have microwaves and ovens growing up. After this was over with he could continue being the evil cold heartless monster he was, and no one would be the wiser. Simple.

Ryou finally moved away from Bakura. Thankfully for Ryou, it was dark and Bakura couldn't see the huge blush on his face after his face returned to its normal colour he spoke. "If we can find the candles they will give us enough light to see." Ryou's thick British accent lingered in Bakura's ears. Something wasn't right.

"Hikari… where are these 'candles'?" Bakura asked as he started pacing around the kitchen. The snow was still falling, and the sun was going down. It was a bad combo… with no source of heat… this wasn't looking good.

"I think there in the cupboard by the 'fridge." Ryou whispered absentmindedly as Bakura walked by him again heading toward said cupboard. Bakura suspicions increased every minute… something didn't fit… something about this situation just wasn't right; he couldn't pace his finger on it. Who was using Shadow Magic? He wasn't, that was for sure. It certainly wasn't Ryou. Whoever had used it was close. Probably some where's in the apartment complex. Could another holder of a Millennium Item be nearby?

Ryou was completely clueless about what the spirit had sensed and that was how it was going to stay. The last thing he needed was Ryou foiling his plans again. Twice was enough. Ryou had a habit of betrayal.

Bakura realized he didn't even know what a 'candle' looked like… Ryou also must have figured this out because he started looking through the cupboard. Bakura stood back and watched his hikari. It was then he sensed the flicker of Shadow Magic again. If there was a Millennium Item nearby… which one was it? It was too weak to be the puzzle or the rod. It wasn't the eye. It certainly wasn't the ring. That left the key, scales and necklace. Shadi was too powerful to allow his items be sensed so that left the necklace, which was with Yugi… the holder of the puzzle. Wait… that didn't work… that meant… there had to be another source of Shadow Magic… If the Shadow Realm existed for 10,000 years then maybe there was another source… there was only one way to find out…

Remember that back in Bakura's time... they weren't called candles... also review! Going back and rereading one of first fanfics is like "wow me and beta both can't spell!"


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Power Outage

Chapter Title: Chapter 2: Reasons

Rating: T

Pairing(s): Maybe Bakura x Ryou if they get together…

Warning(s): Yaoi, abuse, Bakura OOCness, Blood, cussing.

Beta: Yami Princess

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh…

Trying to keep Yami no Bakura in character was really hard… but I think I've done it!

This Chapter is really sweet… so MEGA WAFF warning… I usually don't write this  
>stuff… but I'm trying to as far away from Ryou's Secret as possible…<p>

~That Night~

Welcome back… were did we leave off… oh yes… Shadow Magic… and lit candles

Tick

Tick

Tick

9:26 PM

Complete darkness… with the exception of three candles lit around the room.

Bakura liked it.

Ryou did not.

Bakura returned to watching the white rain from the window. Ryou watched it too.  
>There was nothing else to do. Bakura seen this moment as nothing special. Ryou<br>treasured it, it wasn't often they sat so close together for such a long period  
>of time. The candle flickered time to time, but gave the room a soft glow almost<br>romantic.

"Hikari-baka…" Bakura stated softly, that was the spirit's pet name for his,  
>sort of, Ryou didn't like it much, but at least it was better than some of the<br>other names the spirit had called him. Ryou was also a little taken back by the  
>spirit's tone, was different. Ryou didn't know how to explain it… almost like it<br>was someone else talking. It wasn't mean, or spiteful, or even hateful, it was  
>just different. It was nice.<p>

"Hai Bakura-sama?" Ryou answered, turning his head slightly to look at Bakura,  
>who was still staring out the window.<p>

"Tell me about white rain." Ryou smiled, he never actually told Bakura what snow  
>was, he just said it was snow, and Bakura, being from a country and time when<br>snow never fell, must have been a little surprised.

"Well it's like normal rain, only frozen. It's so cold outside that it causes  
>the rain to freeze and becomes snow, or as you call it, white rain." Ryou<br>explained. Bakura nodded and said nothing for a while. Until out of no where's  
>he spoke.<p>

"Your world… hikari…Ryou… it is so strange… it is nothing like my era, you have  
>strange electrical devices, cars, and crap like that… things my time never had…<br>what I'm trying to say is… I feel so foreign, so ancient, so stupid in your  
>time… I could never survive on my own in this world… I don't think I could ever<br>get use to this, things have changed so much in 5000 years." Bakura finished and  
>glanced at Ryou, who's jaw dropped, needless to say Ryou probably looked like a<br>fish out of water. Ryou felt like saying: 'Who are you and what did you do to  
>Bakura-sama.' but decided against it. Bakura, on the other hand, was mentally<br>cursing and kicking himself, his wall was coming down… and he didn't want it to.  
>His mouth was working against him. He was telling his hikari things he didn't<br>want to.

"I understand, is that why your still here?" Ryou said instead, in a strange way  
>he knew what his yami meant, and understood it completely. Ryou realized that<br>Bakura was talking to him like an equal… progress! They were having a 'moment'  
>and this moment Ryou wasn't going to soon forget. It wasn't everyday Bakura<br>talked to him like this, nor opened up like this.

"That is one reason…" Bakura replied calmly, returning his eyes to the window.  
>'Stupid mouth! Stupid brain! Stupid, stupid, stupid!' Bakura mentally insulted<br>himself, who knows what other things could come out.

"You mean there are other reasons?" Ryou blinked, talk about shocker. Ryou was  
>afraid if this kept up he might have a heart attack. Not that is was a bad<br>thing, but it was unlike Bakura.

"Yes." Bakura answered simply. Finally able to control his body and his mouth  
>again.<p>

"What are they?" Ryou asked. Can we say breakthrough? Yes? Because that's what  
>was happening. Maybe, just maybe, Bakura was changing.<p>

"… shut up." Bakura hissed, his hikari-baka was getting annoying, that, and he  
>wished not to say anything that made him look softer then he already did. No<br>thanks to his little 'I couldn't survive with out you' speech.

It was getting colder by the minute, Bakura pretended to take no notice, but  
>even he had to admit it was getting chilly. They both had sweaters on, Bakura's<br>was black, Ryou's was cream coloured. Even with the sweater on Ryou was  
>shivering, and it was only going to get colder.<p>

If Ryou had to been brave enough he probably would be cuddled up with Bakura.  
>Problem? It was Bakura… and Bakura didn't look like he was cold enough to resort<br>to cuddling to keep warm.

Ryou tried to keep his teeth from chattering, but it wasn't working. Both of  
>them sat on opposite sides of the couch in complete silence. Well unless you<br>count Ryou's chattering teeth. Neither of them spoke a word for what seemed like  
>an hour… finally Ryou stood up, "I'm going to bed, good night Bakura-sama."<p>

Bakura grunted and glanced quickly at his hikari. Ryou blew all but one candle,  
>which he used to find his way to his room. Leaving the yami alone in the<br>darkness.

"I wonder what it would feel like… to have Bakura hold me in his arms… maybe…  
>no… it's Bakura… what am I thinking…," Ryou whispered to himself as he entered<br>him room. Ryou silently wished he could be in a normal, equal, relationship with  
>the spirit of his Millennium Ring, maybe even a sexual relationship, but that<br>seemed impossible. Bakura was abusive, the abuse was unlike anything seen in  
>most domestic abuse relationships. Bakura's abuse could be so bad that not even<br>the worst domestically abused woman could handle.

It wasn't always like this… it started after duelist kingdom… after he has  
>betrayed the spirit. When Bakura had trapped his friends in the game Monster<br>World he had betrayed the spirit then. Bakura had given him a second chance… and  
>he blew it. Bakura used to be kind to him. Defending him from bullies, teaching<br>that stupid teacher who told him to shave is head a lesson, and in the spirits  
>own way, granting his deepest wish… to have friends who would stay with him<br>forever. That wish was granted, because they were dolls now… they weren't going  
>anywhere. Ryou wondered why Bakura didn't give him the usually nightly beating,<br>tonight he was spared, he wondered but did not dare ask, in fear the spirit  
>might think he wanted the crap beat of him.<p>

Ryou crawled into his bed and was about to blow out the candle, then had a  
>change of heart and left the candle lit.<p>

Back to Bakura…

There was nothing to do… Bakura was bored out his mind, which was usually not a  
>very good thing. Alas, there was no where's to go. He had tried to go out side…<br>it was far too cold out side… Ryou told him that white rain was cold like ice…  
>but he wanted to see for himself. Thankfully the only person who saw his<br>reaction was Ryou; who knew better then to laugh at his misfortunate.

There was certainly nothing to do around here. Nothing worked… maybe going to  
>bed wasn't such a bad idea…<p>

Bakura headed towards his bedroom when he noticed a light coming from his  
>hikari's room, and the door was open a bit. Curiosity got the best of him. What<br>could his foolish hikari be doing? The crept silently to his hikari's room and  
>peeked in. His hikari was fast sleep and… the candle was still burning. What was<br>his hikari trying to do? Set the house on fire?

"Baka…" Bakura muttered as he walked over to lit candle, he put the flame out  
>and headed to bed.<p>

Bakura had just reached Ryou's door when he heard, "Bakura-sama…" The spirit's  
>head snapped towards his sleeping hikari. Ryou was dreaming about him! A<br>light blush rose to his cheeks… thankfully it was dark and no one was around.

Bakura left the room and quickly headed to his own, he may have been a spirit,  
>but after 5000 years the inside of Ring was one the last places he wanted to be.<br>Besides his room wasn't too bad… not the best… but it was better then the floor,  
>or the Ring.<p>

Bakura took off his sweater and his tee-shirt, if there was one thing Bakura  
>couldn't do it was sleep with a shirt on. Tonight was going to be a cold night.<br>He kind of wished he had someone else in the bed so he keep warm off their body  
>heat, but his bed was empty, like it was every night, like it would be every<br>night for the rest of his lifetime. Bakura crawled in under the blankets, it was  
>an improvement, heat wise, but not by much.<p>

Bakura closed his eyes he was trying not shiver and sleep. He was half asleep  
>when a soft voice brought him back to reality. "Bakura-sama?" He didn't need<br>open his eyes to know it was, the British accent told him it was hikari. That  
>and no one else could get in…<p>

"What to you want hikari-baka?" Bakura growled, he opened his eyes to be met  
>with huge, innocent, green orbs. Ryou was kneeling beside Bakura's bed.<p>

"It's cold… you think I-I…?" Ryou stammered, Ryou was blushing so bad his face  
>was almost glowing. Bakura would have laughed, but he too tired to put forth the<br>energy to do so. He was also a little taken back… why would Ryou want to be  
>anywhere near him? What was his hikari-baka up to… Bakura could sense Ryou had<br>hidden motives, besides getting warm.

"I think you what? Get in bed with me?" Bakura growled again. Ryou silently  
>nodded, his blush getting worst. "Get in…" Bakura gave a defeated sigh, he was<br>getting soft… no not really, Ryou's body heat would keep him warm for tonight.  
>So he was getting something out of this, and if Ryou told anyone… he'd just kill<br>his hikari, well... beat him senseless.

Again, Simple!

Ryou crawled into his yami's bed and pulled the covers up to his neck and almost  
>immediately fell asleep. Unfortunate, for Yami Bakura, most people are<br>"cuddlers" when they sleep, Ryou was no exception and as soon as Ryou fell  
>asleep he cuddled up with the closest source of heat… Bakura.<p>

Bakura was shocked for the third time at day, he moved to the far side of bed,  
>away from his hikari, but to no avail. Ryou was cuddled back up with him. Ryou<br>was really warm, and he was really cold, see what I'm getting at?

Again, it was dark, Ryou was asleep, no one was around… who would know? If Ryou  
>woke up and ask, all he had to say was he was cold. 'What if Ryou woke up? And<br>then told people… no Ryou is wouldn't tell… he's too scared of me… alright… just  
>tonight… just tonight… hikari-baka!' Bakura thought before drifting to sleep.<br>His arm wrapped around his hikari, pulling the boy into a warm embrace.

"Good night Bakura-sama…."

Ryou is in Bakura's bed! See Ryou being a wussy isn't so bad… it got him in Bakura's bed! If Ryou wasn't such a wussy they wouldn't be cuddling!

Bakura isn't OOC, he's just showing a side of him we don't usually see, the side we see in battle city… when Yami dueled Bakura… and Ryou was in trouble… yes Bakura protected Ryou…

And on the topic of Ryou:

I dunno... to me Ryou - yes, I do refer to the hikari as Ryou - comes off as somebody in dire need of TLC, if the characterizations of yami Bakura are to be believed.

Yami yugi would probably stake himself before harming Yugi, and both halves of Malik are twisted enough that it's really hard for me to gush over that particular hikari... but Ryou is sweet enough to have people cooing over his mistreatment at Bakura's hands.

Then again, Bakura's a cakewalk compared to Yami Malik. O.o;;


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Power Outage

Chapter Title: Chapter 3: Shadow Magic

Rating: M

Pairing(s): Maybe Bakura x Ryou if they get together…

Warning(s): Yaoi, abuse, Bakura OOCness, Blood, cussing.

Beta: Yami Princess

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh…

Warning: This chapter contains Ryou thinking about Bakura's sexuality… so it has  
>the word 'sex' mentioned a lot.<p>

/Ryou to Bakura/

/Bakura to Ryou/

_"Speaking in Ancient Egyptian."_

Some things I have to say:

I doubt there will be an actual lemon in this fic… maybe in Heat Wave… *after  
>many protests* Let me explain… there are reasons for this:<p>

2. People don't change overnight. It takes time to change; especially for  
>someone like Bakura who had 5000(in the manga its 3000) years to become like he<br>is. Add in what his life in Egypt was like, and for him changing would probably  
>take a long time.<p>

Now I'm not saying this fic will lack citrus flavoring… I mean… look at who is  
>writing this… ME!<p>

This is sorta taking place during the Doom Saga (which I hate.)

Bakura has two pet names for Ryou: hikari-baka (idiot light), and Yadonushi  
>(host, landlord, master [of the house])<p>

Bakura usually uses hikari-baka when they are alone, and he usually uses  
>Yadonushi around others (when he's not in the ring).<p>

Finally…

Two new characters are introduced in this chapter...

~Day 2~

Ryou woke first, and it was then that he realized he was pressed into Bakura's  
>bare chest as the spirit held him close. As if he were afraid to let him go.<br>Ryou wondered if he could escape but why would he want to? This was too nice.  
>Ryou wrapped his arms around Bakura slowly and carefully, so as not to wake the<br>sleeping spirit. Success! Ryou linked his fingers together behind Bakura's back  
>and nuzzled Bakura's chest.<p>

Bakura groaned loudly, and Ryou froze. Bakura shifted his grip, pulling Ryou  
>closer and nuzzling his hikari's soft, fluffy hair. Ryou gasped as Bakura's<br>thigh slid between his legs.

Ryou felt like he was in heaven; he had fantasized about this moment for so long  
>and had fantasized about doing other things with the spirit… but he was the<br>innocent hikari, so we won't talk about that.

Ryou wasn't actually gay… he wasn't attracted to any man, just Bakura. However,  
>Bakura's sexuality remained a mystery to everyone but Bakura himself. Bakura<br>never showed any sexual interest in anyone.

What was Bakura's sexual interest? That is question only time could answer, or  
>Bakura… and Ryou had a feeling time was going to tell him before Bakura ever<br>would. Someday, sometime, somewhere, the Spirit of the Ring would let a word or  
>a thought slip out about his sexual interest. That, or Bakura wasn't interested<br>in any anyone, thus being asexual*.

Ryou blushed madly. Here he was lying in the spirit's arms, and thinking about  
>whether or not Bakura would want to have sex with him. Ryou shifted in Bakura's<br>arms which caused said spirit to shift as well. This caused said spirit's arms  
>slide lower around his hikari's waist, which caused Ryou's blush to deepen.<p>

Ryou rested his head against Bakura's shoulder and inhaled Bakura's scent; the  
>spicy citrus smell that was uniquely Bakura. Bakura stirred again, he was waking<br>up. Ryou closed his eyes and pretended he was asleep.

Bakura opened his eyes to see…white. He tried to move, only to find himself in  
>someone's arms. Ryou's arms. Yes, he remembered now. Ryou was cold, he was cold,<br>that was okay. The position they were in wasn't as okay.

Bakura loosened his grip on his hikari and moved his leg from where it rested  
>between Ryou's legs. Ryou whimpered and pulled himself closer. Unbeknown to<br>Bakura, Ryou was very much awake and was using this as an excuse to stay in his  
>yami's arms.<p>

"Baka…" Bakura whispered in Ryou's ear. "What time is it…?" He muttered to  
>himself.<p>

"It's 7:47..." Ryou answered which startled the spirit, causing his body to  
>tense up.<p>

"How long have you been awake?" Bakura asked his hands moving to Ryou's sides

"Since you called me a baka…" Ryou lied, he moved out of Bakura's arms and  
>crawled out of bed, only to jump right back in.<p>

"What's your problem?" Bakura sneered, getting out of bed and walking around  
>like it was summer time or something! It had to be at least -5° C*1.<p>

"It's f-freezing!" Ryou fell back into Bakura's bed and pulled the blankets up  
>to his chin. The spirit rolled his eyes. "I'm not getting up."<p>

Bakura growled but left Ryou lying there. Ryou closed his eyes and inhaled  
>deeply. This whole room smelled like Bakura, like heaven. Ryou put up his mental<br>defenses to shield his thoughts from Bakura before falling to his fantasy world.  
>Which consisted of things he wished he could do with Bakura in the real world.<p>

Bakura didn't like it. His hikari was in his room, with his mental shields up.  
>Ra only knew what Ryou was thinking… or doing. Probably snooping around, or<br>something else… like touching himself… No… his hikari wouldn't do that in his  
>bed… right?<p>

"I think I'll just check." Bakura muttered to himself while heading back to his  
>room, he moved silently, if his host was up to something he wanted to catch the<br>boy in the act… since is was still dark he doubted Ryou would see him coming.

Bakura peeked into his room and sighed in relief, his hikari-baka was out cold.  
>He decided since he was here he might as well get dressed, it was kind of cold.<br>Ryou groaned and rolled over. Bakura glared towards the bed. He was going way to  
>soft and he was probably only going to get softer as time and the storm went on.<p>

"Baka… you're the cause of this… change… damn you." Bakura hissed to the  
>sleeping teen, after he finished changing into something a lot warmer. The<br>spirit headed to the bed, he raised his hand-he was planning to hit the boy but  
>couldn't. A sharp pain shot through his body and the Millennium Ring around his<br>neck began to glow an eerie blue. It felt like the source of the Shadow Magic he  
>had been sensing yesterday was right behind him, but he was alone. He just<br>lowered his hand, as soon as he did everything went back to normal. Bakura left  
>his room.<p>

~2 hours later~

Ryou wiped the sleep from his eyes and sat up. Ryou sobbed at the thought of  
>walking to his room to get his clothes. Ryou crawled out the bed only to find<br>his clothes folded neatly on the dresser. The Millennium Ring resting on the top  
>of the pile. "Bakura-sama… thank you!"<p>

Ryou quickly got dressed and scurried into the kitchen to find something for  
>breakfast. Alas, he found very few breakfast foods that didn't need to be cooked<br>first, but a muffin and orange juice would do.

Ryou noticed a faint glow coming from the den and he wondered what his yami was  
>up to. Ryou walked into the den as quietly as he could. Bakura was lying on the<br>couch, looking up at the ceiling. Ryou silently prayed that his darker half  
>would open up to him more. He started walking towards the couch when Bakura sat<br>up, looked at him, and then stood up. Ryou froze, the look in Bakura's eyes was  
>the same look he always saw before Bakura unleashed his rage upon the closest<br>thing to him.

Ryou swallowed hard and slowly tried to back away, but thanks to a poorly placed  
>wall, Ryou was trapped. He was at his Yami's mercy… a thing that the dark spirit<br>didn't have. "Good morning Yadonushi." Bakura sneered wickedly as he placed his  
>hands on either side of Ryou's shoulders, blocking him in completely. Ryou<br>started to tremble, but it wasn't noticeable to any normal person… he knew what  
>was coming and wished it would end quickly.<p>

Bakura on the other hand, who had been planning to pound the unmerciful crap out  
>of Ryou, could not bring himself to strike his lighter side. Just like earlier.<br>The same sharp pain washed over him, but this time the Millennium didn't glow.  
>It was like something didn't want him to hit his hikari.<p>

Bakura began to wonder if this had anything to do with the boy trembling before  
>him. It wouldn't surprise him. Ryou was hiding something, that much he knew.<br>Bakura also knew that his hikari had a habit of betrayal. Ryou was probably  
>making a deal with some unseen force to have him banished the Shadow Realm<br>forever, or maybe to have the ring destroyed. He really wouldn't put it past his  
>hikari to do something like that.<p>

He could feel something faintly, but it was still there. Pulsing, calling to  
>him, like the Shadow Realm always did. Yes, it calls to you… and your helpless<br>against its power. The Shadow Realm is like heroin-once you get a taste of its  
>power you're hooked. It was how he came to be in the ring. His greed and his<br>desire for revenge made him weak, and once he a got taste of the Shadow Realm's  
>magic he couldn't get enough. All he had wanted was to avenge his family, who<br>had been brutally slaughtered-he hadn't wanted to be imprisoned for eternity.

The Shadow Magic had been present all morning. It was faint, yet it was  
>definitely there, and only those with powerful Millennium Items and those very<br>familiar with Shadow magic could feel it. Bakura felt like an addict who  
>couldn't get enough, and someone was dangling a dose of his drug in his face… he<br>would reach for it… he just couldn't reach far enough.

The spirit knew it was only a matter of time before the same Shadow magic that  
>gave him his high, his power, would cause his ultimate destruction. If it had<br>been summer and he was able to go outside, he would have left and hunted down  
>the source of the Shadow magic… but unlike yesterday, the Shadow magic didn't go<br>away.

Bakura realized that he still had Ryou backed against the wall. He hadn't  
>realized until now that he had lowered his head to rest on Ryou's right shoulder.<br>He let his arms drop from the wall. The spirit placed one hand on his hikari's  
>left arm. The other tangled its self in Ryou's silky white hair. Bakura inhaled<br>Ryou's scent. Strawberries… and chocolate…

Ryou had been shocked when Bakura decided to pin him to wall and use him as  
>pillow, But that was nothing compared to this. Ryou wrapped his arms around the<br>spirit, and was surprised when the spirit allowed it. He made no attempt to pull  
>away, or inflict any sort of pain. A smile forced its way onto Ryou's face, this<br>was better than any dream or fantasy.

Bakura finally came to his senses and threw Ryou towards the couch, because of  
>force Bakura had used Ryou lost balance and landed on the corner of the coffee<br>table. Ryou let out a yelp of pain as the corner jabbed into his back, he looked  
>up toward the wall where Bakura should have been-but he was gone.<p>

~With Bakura~

Bakura fell onto his bed, he didn't know what was coming over him. His actions  
>just minutes earlier had not only surprised him, but disgusted him. Ryou's scent<br>lingered in his mind and swirled around with the rest of this thoughts. He was  
>getting far too soft.<p>

After an hour of pondering, Bakura came to the conclusion that the Shadow Magic  
>he was sensing had something to do with his behavior. It was only mere minutes<br>after coming to this conclusion that he heard his bedroom door open and close.  
>To be honest, he really wasn't in the mood to listen to his hikari's pointless<br>drabble.

"I'm sorry Bakura-sama." Ryou finally spoke as he laid down next his darkness,  
>resting his head on the spirits broad muscular shoulder.<p>

"For what hikari-baka?" The spirit was confused by his hikari's apology. His  
>hikari-baka did nothing wrong.<p>

"For betraying you at duelist kingdom." Ryou answered as his slender fingers ran  
>through his yami's spiky white mass of tangles he called hair.<p>

/…!/ Bakura couldn't find words to speak… he couldn't even make a sound, he  
>was so shocked. He twisted around so that he was looking his host, emerald eyes<br>meeting crimson.

"It was a mistake. If I knew then what I know now… I never would have done it. I  
>was stupid." Ryou removed his hand from Bakura's hair and let it rest on his<br>yami's shoulder as he spoke. "I really liked the person you used to be… before  
>the duel with Yami no Yuugi."<p>

"So?" Bakura spat, putting his shields back up. He had learned at a very young  
>age not to look weak in front of the enem… what the hell was he saying? This was<br>Ryou he was talking about… Ryou… the enemy… and cats can fly and have pink  
>wings. The spirit suddenly felt very foolish.<p>

"I made the biggest mistake of my life that day. I lost the trust of the only  
>person I truly cared for, which resulted in him being banished to the Shadow<br>Realm. And what did I get in return?" Bakura's jaw dropped not only at what his  
>hikari was telling him… but also at the tone of his hikari's voice. The boy<br>sounded so harsh… so much like himself. "Nothing good… that's what." Ryou  
>murmured, closing his eyes, waiting for a blow, for an insult, but he received<br>nothing.

"…" Once again the spirit of the ring was speechless. This was the fifth time in  
>two days.<p>

"… and thank you for protecting me during our duel with Yami no Yuugi in Battle  
>City. I know if I had of died you would have been able to keep my body… but you<br>took the blast for me… I owe you everything." Ryou added on to what he said. He  
>moved a little closer to the spirit… if one didn't know better, you'd swear that<br>they were lovers.

"Ryou…"

"Bakura-sama…"

For the first time in a long time they had a mutual understanding for each  
>other. The bond between them, the bond they shared as Yami and Hikari, slowly<br>started to change into something more. For a while neither of them said a word.  
>There was no need to, and for the first time since Duelist Kingdom, Ryou felt<br>completely safe around his yami.

~Lunch Time: 1:30~

Ryou smiled as he made his way into the kitchen. Ryou looked around for  
>something to eat… that's when an idea came to him. "Bakura-sama! Come here!"<p>

The spirit of the ring walked into the kitchen, "What?" He demanded in an  
>annoyed tone.<p>

Ryou smiled, "I just had the greatest idea." He announced to the dark spirit,  
>who just rolled his eyes and sat down at the small oak kitchen table.<p>

"What was this great idea?" Bakura yawned, he was beyond bored since some unseen  
>force was keeping him from hurting his hikari.<p>

"Since most of the food in the fridge will spoil, why not put it outside on the  
>balcony?" Ryou suggested, taking a seat across from his yami.<p>

"Whatever… you're the only one who eats it. It really doesn't matter to me."  
>Bakura groaned as he stretched, Ryou blushed lightly, luckily for Ryou it was<br>dark enough to go unnoticed. It was 1:35 PM, yet it felt and looked like it was  
>almost seven PM. The thick grey clouds blocked both the light and the heat of<br>the sun's rays.

"But it will give both of us something to do for a while." Ryou informed his  
>darker side, quickly getting up and moving to hide his blush. Ryou walked over<br>to the sink and started slicing carrots for lunch. A nice quick salad….

Bakura watched his hikari work for a few seconds before moving to stand right  
>behind his light. Since the spirit of the ring was a few inches taller, Ryou<br>could feel his yami's breath against his left ear. He could also feel Bakura's  
>chest brushing against his back when the spirit inhaled. "The white rain has<br>stopped falling." Shivers ran down Ryou's spine; Bakura's hot breath tickled his  
>ear as he spoke. "After you eat we will… move the food."<p>

Since Ryou had his back to Bakura he didn't see Bakura's rising hand. Of course  
>once Bakura realized what he was about to do, he dropped his hand and left the<br>room.

~With Bakura~

Bakura mentally scolded himself; just because he couldn't hurt his hikari didn't  
>mean he had to be "friendly" with him. Bakura wasn't even sure what he had been<br>doing back there.

The spirit walked through the dining room, one of Bakura's favorite rooms. This  
>was the only room that wasn't bland; the walls were nicely painted-the bottom<br>half of the wall was rich burgundy, the top half was dark green, the room had  
>creamy yellow trim, and various things littered the walls. In the centre of the<br>room was a red oak table that could seat ten people, but it had only been used  
>once. Only once…when Ryou's father was still alive.<p>

Bakura left his favorite room and entered the bland hallway… white… white…  
>white… everything (besides the dining room) in this horrible apartment was<br>WHITE! Bakura felt like he was in an insane asylum, only the walls weren't  
>padded.<p>

There were many word that could use to describe his host and his host's  
>apartment: bland, dull, lacklustre, and boring.<p>

Sometimes Bakura wondered if Ryou really was his reincarnation. Then he would  
>remember Ryou had never seen the things he had seen, Ryou had grown up<br>differently than he had. They grew up in a different time and a different  
>family, so it would only make sense that the boy be different then he was. But<br>still… if he had grown up like Ryou, in his own time of course, would he have  
>been like Ryou?<p>

Bakura entered his room again to ponder this thought.

~That Night~

The temperature had dropped to nearly -8° C*2. The snow had stopped… but it was  
>still very cold. "Bakura-sama… do you think I could… you know… just until the<br>power comes back on? It is really cold out… and… and…" Ryou began to blush  
>madly; he figured he must have sounded like a whore. "Can I sleep with you<br>again… please?" Ryou sighed and looked at the spirit standing in front of him.

Bakura really wasn't paying much attention. The shadow magic he had been feeling  
>all day was starting to get to him… and so was his hikari. He was being far to<br>kind to the boy who had betrayed him and caused him to be banished to the Shadow  
>Realm. Not to mention causing him to lose his chance to take the Millennium<br>Puzzle. "Bakura-sama…" A timid voice intruded on his thoughts.

"No… sleep in your own bed." He hissed, mentally cursing himself… tonight was  
>going to be a very cold night. At least with Ryou in bed with him he could share<br>in the boy's body heat… but not tonight, he was getting too soft as it was, and  
>soon Ryou would forget his place.<p>

"But… but… Bakura-sama… it's below freezing!" Ryou exclaimed, so much for  
>progress… and he really wanted to spend the night in the spirit's arms again.<br>"We'll both freeze, probably get sick and…" Ryou was determined to get in  
>Bakura's bed. (AN: Hentai thoughts… Ryou can be such a… slut… *snicker*  
>*cough*)<p>

Bakura thought this over… freezing… and illness… that didn't sound too  
>appealing… heat… and company… that sounded much more appealing… even if it was<br>his hikari-baka, some company was better then none. "Fine… until the power comes back  
>on, but that's it!" Bakura hissed again, before walking over and crawling into<br>the warmth of his bed. Ryou on the other hand scurried into his room and grabbed  
>his clothes, which consisted of two shirts, two sweaters and a pair of<br>sweatpants. He then hurried back to the spirit's room; trying hard to hide the  
>huge smile on his face. The spirit of the Ring was being NICE to him!<p>

Bakura watched his hikari crawl into his bed… he was getting too soft… but what  
>could he do? After what Ryou told him earlier he started to feel… guilty. Ryou's<br>apology hit something deep inside of him. 'I lost the trust of a person I truly  
>cared for…,' Those words lingered in his mind as he drifted to sleep.<p>

X

"Well it's about time the touzoku-ou(^) fell asleep." A woman with pale skin,  
>long whitish blue hair, and deep blue eyes said to her partner. This was another<br>young woman with spiky brown hair, tanned skin, and a strange hat. Both women  
>wore Egyptian clothing.<p>

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this…," The brown haired woman said with  
>a giggle. They stood at the foot of the bed, watching the yami and hikari pair<br>cuddling with each other in their sleep.

"Well… the touzoku-ou could be unbeatable, but only if he and his light work  
>together. Until then he will always lose. You know we can't send him on his<br>journey until he's ready. You also know he won't be ready until he has realized  
>what it means to be Yami and Hikari." The paler woman explained. Her eyes glowed<br>blue, and a blue aura surrounded her body. The snow on the ground began to melt  
>immediately. "I melted away three feet of the snow, since he is making progress.<br>At this rate the touzoku-ou and his host will be an unbeatable team." The  
>blue-eyed woman added.<p>

"What if he refuses to accept his journey?" The tanned woman asked her partner.

"Does he have much of a choice? If he refuses he will die, and so will his  
>host."<p>

"Come on, we should head back…," And with that they were gone.

_He wasn't really sure who he was kissing so passionately. Whoever it was, he had  
>pinned them to the wall. He let his hands tangle into their long hair. His soon<br>to be lover ran their hands down his back. Hell he don't even know what gender  
>they were err… are… whoever it was, was trying to pull his shirt off. He pulled<br>away to let his shirt come off and to see who he was about to fuck senseless…_

Green eyes, white hair, flushed, creamy pale skin… oh god… Ryou!

Bakura's eyes snapped open. He was gasping for air… he had been about to have a  
>sex dream about his hikari! Bakura assured himself that nothing like his dream<br>would ever happen. For one, it was just a dream… nothing more then a dream…

Bakura glanced to his side to see the object of his dream lying next to him,  
>sound asleep. He watched his hikari for a few minutes before lying back down…<br>because all dreams are just that… dreams!

Bakura closed his eyes and tried to relax He found the sound of his hikari's  
>breathing to be strangely relaxing…<p>

X

I think this chapter is long enough…

* - Someone who isn't attracted to anyone and doesn't want to have sex. In fact,  
>the idea of sex just plain grosses them out. Aka: abstinence without attraction. If you watched season 1-3 of Big bang theory… all I need to say is Sheldon<p>

*1 - that's about 19° F

*2 - that's about 14° F (that's cold for being inside a apartment!)

(^) - is Japanese for Thief King… I tend to use it as a first name: Touzokuoh  
>(Dorobou) Bakura…<p>

Authors Ramblings:

Anyways, can you guess who the mystery women are? I'll give you two hints…

Hint one: This fic contains NO OCs, that means they are real characters. XD ^_^

Hint two: They are in the AE (Memory World) saga… so if you haven't seen it, you  
>most likely won't know who they are.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Power Outage  
>Chapter Title: Chapter 4: A Bad Day<br>Rating: T  
>Pairing(s): Maybe Bakura x Ryou if they get together… Implied YYxR here and<br>there.  
>Warning(s): Yaoi, abuse, Bakura OOCness, Blood, cussing.<br>Beta: Himitsu Dorobou  
>Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh…<br>Please read the Author's notes… they are important… 90% of the time…

/Ryou to Bakura/

/Bakura to Ryou/

"Speaking in Ancient Egyptian."

'Thoughts'

~ Scene/time change

Warnings: strong yaoi hints, mild gore involving animals… implied Yami Yugi x  
>Ryou. I'll try to keep this chapter R rated, but the key word is try. Oh… I HATE<br>YAMI YUGI XD and Yugi… because they are just as bad as Anzu when it comes to  
>friendship speeches. 'I must save the world, and with my friends behind me I can<br>do anything,' or, 'Believe in the heart of the cards!' HATRED! Only Anzu's cool…  
>(correction… I make her cool in my fic's ^^;;;) Anyways… I will bash Yami…<br>sometimes…

~Day 3~

Bakura was wakened by a gust of howling wind colliding with the wall closest to  
>his head. The wind struck with such force that it caused the windows to rattle<br>and shake under its wrath. Bakura groaned and sat up, only to be greeted by a  
>subzero temperature. He casually looked around his room, but what he saw made<br>him want to cry… if he was even capable of such an act. His bedroom looked like  
>a winter wonderland; everything was covered in a thin layer of white rain.<br>Absolutely EVERYTHING! Even his bed covers.

Bakura looked at his sleeping hikari lying next to him. "Hikari-baka! Wake up!"  
>The spirit hissed loudly. Ryou groaned and muttered something about not wanting<br>to go to school as he rolled over. Seconds later Ryou's eyes shot open and he  
>screamed bloody murder. "What in the name of the holy gods are you screaming<br>about!" Bakura snapped.

"My pillow is frozen!" Ryou whined childishly, "Why is-?" Ryou's jaw dropped  
>when he saw Bakura's room. Frost! Everything was covered in frost. Even the<br>Millennium Ring wasn't immune to the effect of the cold temperature.

Bakura flipped his pillow over and laid back down, staring at the bland white  
>ceiling above him as Ryou followed suit. Minutes later Ryou crawled out of bed<br>and started heading toward the bedroom door. Ryou was hopping, skipping, and  
>jumping every time his bare feet connected with the slippery, frosty floor.<br>"Where are you going hikari-baka?" The dark fiend inquired, giving his hikari an  
>amused look. He wondered if his hikari was seventeen or seven.<p>

Ryou stopped, looked at him, then smiled and said: "To the bathroom." He  
>continued to make his way out of the room. As soon as Ryou opened the door the<br>words, "Oh god no!" were uttered.

"What seems to be the problem hikari-baka?" Bakura asked, not moving his gaze  
>from the ceiling, which he found to be very interesting.<p>

"Everything!" Ryou moaned in despair. Ryou was literally on the verge of tears.  
>Bakura on the other hand was completely confused.<p>

"Everything what?" Bakura snarled. He was freezing, he was exhausted, and he was  
>bored senseless. He certainly wasn't in the mood for mind games and a pathetic<br>hikari who was terrified of his own shadow.

"Everything is covered in fros… err… white rain!" Ryou announced, before making  
>his way to the bathroom.<p>

Bakura, who was still in the comfort of his bed, heard: "Ah, oh, cold, ah,  
>c-cold, ah, ah," followed by a thud and more: "Ah, oh, gees!" Then a door<br>slammed shut, and Bakura shook his head. Well that had to be the most  
>entertaining thing he seen since the power died. The spirit was still deciding<br>between getting up, freezing, and being bored, or staying in bed, being warm,  
>and being bored.<p>

Being warm won.

His mind turned to things he could do to amuse himself, since he could no longer  
>physically harm his hikari. Bakura sighed-another day of sheer boredom. Maybe<br>he could set his hikari on fire, which would be amusing.

As soon as that thought entered his mind, the same sharp pain came. 'Okay I take  
>it back… I won't set him on fire.' The pain was gone. Something really didn't<br>want him to hurt his hikari at all.

His mind wandered to the dream he had last night. Thoughts of himself pinning  
>Ryou to the bed and ravishing him flooded his mind. 'Whoa… where did those come<br>from?'  
>Bakura's thoughts were interrupted by his hikari's scream. Bakura blinked and<br>sat up as his hikari ran into the room, slammed the door, and attempted to jump  
>on his own side of the bed. Of course Ryou missed his spot and landed on<br>Bakura's lap. The thief king really wasn't sure what to say, as the look on  
>Ryou's face just screamed pure fear.<p>

"There's… There is... in the bathroom!" Ryou stuttered, subconsciously clinging  
>to spirit of darkness. Bakura was once again surprised… no, he was completely<br>shocked.

Whatever was going on here… it just wasn't funny.

"There's what in the bathroom? A ghost?" Bakura chuckled; watching his hikari  
>tremble in fear was always entertaining. "Why don't you start from the<br>beginning?" He knew this was going to be funny, so why not hear the whole story?

Ryou sighed and started, "I was brushing… my teeth and I noticed something in  
>the drain… so I pulled it out… and it was… it was…" Ryou paused and looked up at<br>Bakura, "A dead rat! It was all frozen and had bugs crawling on it and… and…  
>and it was really gross." Ryou added, burying his face into Bakura's bare chest.<p>

Bakura waited a few minutes before breaking out into hysterical laughter. He  
>fell back on the mattress, taking Ryou with him.<p>

After a few minutes Bakura stopped laughing and looked at his hikari. The boy  
>was glaring at him and had a very smug look on his face. "Something funny?" Ryou<br>inquired, raising an eyebrow at his yami's strange behavior.

"Yes…" Bakura started to laugh again, but stopped when he realized the position  
>they were in. Ryou was lying on top of him. In a very suggestive position one<br>might add. It seemed Ryou had just noticed this as well, because Ryou began to  
>blush fiercely. "What were you smirking about hikari-baka?" Bakura asked,<br>glaring at the boy who was still lying on top of him. Thoughts of throwing the  
>boy onto the floor crossed his mind, but he did nothing about it.<p>

"What are you waiting for Bakura-sama?" Ryou answered smugly. 'So, Bakura-sama  
>thinks this is funny, huh? Well I'll show him!' Ryou thought to himself.<br>Bakura's eyes narrowed dangerously, this was getting annoying.

"What do you mean by that hikari-baka?" Bakura demanded angrily. He wasn't in  
>the mood for foolish mind games. Especially if he wasn't the one in control.<p>

"Well someone has to get rid of it, and I am not touching the disease infected  
>thing again. Unless you wish to leave it lying in the sink...?" Ryou replied,<br>crossing his arms across his chest.

Bakura blinked, sighed, and then spoke. "You have to be the most pathetic excuse  
>for a human being I have ever met." As soon as the words left his mouth Ryou<br>made the most adorable face Bakura had ever seen in his 5000 years of life.  
>'Gah… to much cuteness! He's horribly cute… wait… what in the holy name of Ra am<br>I thinking?' Bakura mentally cursed. "Are you going to get off me anytime soon?  
>Or will I have to hurt you?" The spirit snarled, putting his walls back up-he<br>had let them down for far too long. He may not have been capable of hurting his  
>hikari, but that was information he planned to keep to himself. There was no<br>need for Ryou to know he was now immune to his rage. Unless of course his hikari  
>planned on calling his bluff. Then what could he do?<p>

Ryou was mentally cheering; he was lying on Bakura! At first he thought that  
>this power outage would be the death of him… but now he terribly happy it had<br>happened. He had bonded with his darkness more in the past two days then since  
>Bakura first appeared. "Are you going to get rid of that decaying rat in the<br>bathroom sink?" Ryou asked softly, making no attempt to heed the spirit's  
>threat. "You know Bakura-sama your comfy…" Ryou gasped after he realized that he<br>voiced that thought, his earlier blush quickly returning.

Bakura blinked, then raised an eyebrow at his hikari's very suggestive comment.  
>"Am I now?" He hissed. Bakura wasn't angry at the boy's comment, he was angry<br>that his hikari was calling his bluff… perhaps Ryou already knew he was safe. He  
>knew his hikari had been hiding something, he just never bothered to find out<br>exactly what. "Ryou!" He hissed again, adding more edge to his voice, which had  
>the effect he desired. Ryou pouted again and moved to the side of the bed which,<br>in only two nights, had become his.

Ryou couldn't believe he just defied his yami and gotten away with it… for now.  
>Speaking of which, Bakura had been acting very strange since the power died, now<br>that he thought of it. "Gomen ne, Bakura-sama." Ryou apologized quickly. To what  
>purpose he wasn't sure, and he was probably going to have the crap pounded out<br>of him later anyways.

"You truly are worthless and pathetic, you know that?" Bakura snarled again, if  
>anyone else had told him there was a rat in the sink he wouldn't have believed<br>them. But it wasn't someone else who told him. It was Ryou, and Ryou didn't lie.  
>The boy had made it a habit to be completely honest. So Bakura-being the nice<br>guy he was-took pity on his absolutely pathetic hikari and lifted himself from  
>his nice, warm bed. His bare feet hit the frost-covered floor, and he suddenly<br>understood why his hikari had done that ridiculous hopping.

"I know… but don't you just love me all the same?" Ryou blushed, he hadn't meant  
>to say that. Of course the look on Ryou's face was absolutely beyond adorable.<br>Bakura grabbed his hikari's arm, dragging him to the bathroom. If by chance Ryou  
>was lying… well pain or not he would severely hurt him.<p>

"Yeah… just the same." Bakura muttered. He abruptly stopped walking; just where  
>in the holiest name of the holiest God did <em><strong>THAT<strong>_ come from? So his mouth and mind  
>wanted to spill untruths? Or... were they truths?<p>

Bakura's thoughts were interrupted when Ryou crashed into him from behind.  
>Bakura resumed walking; cold frost was stinging his bare skin but he wasn't<br>going to admit it out loud. His pride and ego wouldn't allow it.

Ryou, who was currently being dragged down the hall by the mentally deranged  
>spirit, was blushing like mad. In fact his face had turned a new shade of red.<br>Yes, he had indeed heard what Bakura just said. '_Yeah… just the same_.' Ryou was  
>starting to worry that Bakura might be ill, or atleast liked him.<p>

They managed to make it to the bathroom, which was lit up by the candle Ryou had  
>been using. Bakura finally released his hikari's arm, which Ryou immediately<br>nursed thanks to Bakura's iron grip. The spirit of darkness walked over the sink  
>in question. He blinked a few times because sure enough, Ryou had been telling<br>the truth.

~Warning… rat lovers should NOT read this/mild gore~

Lying in the sink was a large, frozen rat, quite obviously dead. Its skull had  
>been crushed, it's legs horribly twisted out of place, and thick, almost frozen<br>blood oozed from it's tiny body. And the maggots, those which weren't frozen  
>solid over the matted corpse, were crawling all over it. They were eating away<br>at the rotting flesh and fur.

~I guess it's safe again~

"See? I told you! I can't believe I touched it!" Ryou exclaimed in a disgusted  
>tone, wiping his hands off on a nearby towel. Bakura looked closely at the rat,<br>noticing whitish-yellow puss-like foam coming out of the remnants of its head.

"Go wash your hands and soak them in something that will kill the germs." Bakura  
>ordered. The last thing he needed was Ryou to get sick and die, and Bakura<br>wasn't taking any chances. He was immortal, so it didn't matter if he touched  
>it. Ryou, however, was not immortal.<p>

Ryou nodded and headed to the kitchen, wondering how long it would take until  
>all of the water pipes in the building froze. Ryou decided that after he washed<br>his hands he would run as much water as he could. He was happy Bakura didn't  
>need food or water to survive. Though Bakura was capable of eating, the fact was<br>that Bakura didn't have to eat or drink unless he wanted to. Bakura could easily  
>never eat another morsel of food again and be quite fine. Ryou quickly filled<br>all the pots, bowls, and pans with water-just in case.

~Back to the bathroom: again, rat lovers shouldn't read this. Actually… this is  
>pretty gross… so I'll label it more mild gore. Weak stomachs be warned!~<p>

Bakura lifted the frozen creature up by what was left of its tail. "Now, how did  
>you manage to get into our sink? Oh well. I guess it doesn't matter, you scared<br>the hell out of…" Bakura paused and looked around, "of Ryou…" he finished.  
>Bakura twirled the dead creature in front of his face.<p>

The sticky, puss-like white foam and thick crimson blood dripped into the sink,  
>on the floor, and even on Bakura's foot. "Time for you to go to the shadow<br>realm. Yes, I'm that bored... I really should just throw you in the garbage, but  
>what's the fun in that?" Bakura chuckled and caught a drop of blood on his index<br>finger. He lifted the finger to mouth and licked the congealing blood off.  
>"Seems you been dead for a while. Perhaps you got stuck and starved, though that<br>doesn't explain what happened to your head. Unless Ryou did something to you,  
>which I highly doubt. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't hurt a fly. Oh well… it<br>was nice talking to you." Bakura laughed again. He narrowed his eyes and a  
>bright rainbow colored light engulfed the bathroom. Seconds later the light<br>vanished, taking with it all traces of the rat.

~End mild gore~

Bakura exhaled heavily and jumped in shock when white smoke left his mouth. He  
>walked toward the bathroom to find his hikari. Perhaps he would know why smoke<br>was coming out of his mouth. "Hikari-baka!" he snarled. As Bakura walked out of  
>the bathroom his foot kicked something. Bakura cast his gaze to the floor and<br>saw Ryou's toothbrush. He shook his head, picked it up, and placed it on the  
>sink. Bakura then left the bathroom, shutting the door on his way out.<p>

"Hai, Bakura-sama?" Ryou replied, peeking his head out from the kitchen. His  
>puffy white hair looked worse than his yami's, mainly as it hadn't been brushed<br>lately. "Is the rat gone?" Ryou asked softly as he disappeared into the kitchen,  
>Bakura following behind him.<p>

"Hikari-baka, why is there smoking coming out of my mouth when I talk and  
>breathe?" Bakura asked bluntly. Ryou spun around and faced his yami with a<br>confused look on his face as Bakura exhaled again to demonstrate.

"Well you see, since it's so cold-I believe it's around -15°C*-anyways,  
>because the air is so cold and your breath is so warm, it gives you the illusion<br>that you're breathing smoke." Ryou explained, he wasn't sure if that was really  
>true or not. It may not have been, but it sounded intelligent as well as<br>believable. Bakura looked at Ryou for a few moments, and then nodded.

The rest of morning went relatively smoothly, with only a few perverted thoughts  
>here and there and a few strange situations in which they both wished to forget.<br>One strange situation being Bakura tripping over "something" (aka: his own two  
>feet, but his ego wouldn't allow himself to admit it-convincing himself he was<br>tripped by this "something") and landing face first in Ryou's lap. Whether he  
>MEANT to do it or not, we'll never know. Another situation was Ryou accidentally<br>locking himself out of the apartment. Luckily for him, Bakura was in a good mood  
>and unlocked the door. By now it was just after lunch. Ryou's crotch was still<br>sore where Bakura had landed… face first. Ryou had broken out laughing when  
>Bakura lost his footing. He had stopped laughing once he realized where Bakura<br>was going to fall. And needless to say, that had hurt. Now he was having  
>problems simply walking normally.<p>

Ryou had come to the conclusion that today just wasn't his day-a frozen pillow,  
>a dead rat, a 170+ pound person landing on his balls, getting locked outside in<br>the cold, and finally freezing his butt off because an unnamed baka spirit (A/N:  
>I wonder who that could be?) decided to take his blanket. While Ryou was<br>freezing his bottom off, the unnamed baka spirit had not one, but two big, warm,  
>fluffy, fuzzy blankets!<p>

Ryou was now sitting on the couch freezing to death as he tried and failed to  
>keep his teeth from chattering. Even though he wore one of his own sweaters and<br>one of Bakura's-which he thought smelled REALLY nice-he was still cold. Ryou  
>was shivering like mad-hell he looked like he was having a seizure! Suddenly he<br>felt a strange warmth overcome him. He looked to his left and saw his blanket,  
>the one Bakura had stolen, draped over his shoulders. He turned his head a<br>little further left only to see Bakura standing there, a yellow blanket wrapped  
>around his own shoulders. Ryou gave his yami a confused look.<p>

"Hikari-baka… your teeth were chattering so loudly I couldn't hear myself  
>think." Bakura explained defensively. Which was actually a lie, he had felt bad<br>about taking the girly light blue cloth covering and decided to return it.

"Thanks," Ryou replied with a smile. He felt like saying, 'this blanket couldn't  
>keep me half as warm as you could.' In fact, he could feel the words about to<br>come out, and quickly slapped his hands over his mouth. Bakura narrowed his eyes  
>and gave Ryou a confused glare, but said nothing. He simply turned and left the<br>room.

Ryou thought about the aftermath of that first embarrassing incident-after  
>Bakura has made his 'oh so graceful landing,' while crushing parts of Ryou he<br>really didn't want injured. Let me ask you this first: Have you ever had the  
>object of your sexually fantasies, who didn't have a clue how you felt, with<br>their face on your crotch? Thankfully the intense pain kept him from getting  
>aroused. Was he ever going to get over this? Most likely not.<p>

Ryou 'eeped' when the couch moved slightly. Ryou glanced to his side, only to  
>see his yami sitting next him. "This yellow is such a nasty color." Bakura said<br>aimlessly, "I should have given you this one…" He added with a smirk.

"Why didn't you?" Ryou asked softly. His perverted teenage mind kept picturing  
>Bakura looking up from between his legs. 'It will never happen so stop thinking<br>about! Because if he ever found out…,' Ryou then proceeded to curse himself for  
>being so perverted. One of these days his perversion was going to be the end of<br>him.

"I gave you yours because it smells like you… and you haven't bathed in days.  
>You stink." Bakura said bluntly. His smirk never faded for a second, which<br>really confused Ryou.

Bakura was, at this moment, trying to fight impulses of various things he could  
>do concerning Ryou. Ever since he'd fallen on Ryou, his body and mind had been<br>working overtime. Thinking thoughts and wanting to do things that he, himself,  
>didn't. "Hikari-baka… are you hiding something from me?" Bakura asked very<br>bluntly, something he hadn't planned on. Yet his hikari had never been  
>untruthful in the past.<p>

"Hiding? No… well… I didn't think I was. But I'm not quiet sure what you mean,  
>Bakura-sama." Ryou answered truthfully. He wasn't sure what his yami meant. Ryou<br>just hoped Bakura was still clueless about the feelings he had towards him.

Bakura scowled for a moment. "Is. There. Anything. You. Are. Not. Telling. Me?"  
>He slowly asked his lighter half. While Bakura was talking about Shadow Magic<br>and deals. Ryou thought he meant his feelings… for the spirit.

"I'm quiet positive there isn't. If I was keeping anything from you, which I'm  
>not, it would be my own personal feelings and only because I wouldn't share them<br>with you anyways. Not like you would care what my feelings are." Ryou explained,  
>his thick accent really made that sentence sound strangely proper for the<br>current situation. It also covered up his feeling for his yami.

Bakura was a little taken back, but browsed through his hikari's thought. Surely  
>enough the boy was worried about what would happen if Bakura found out something<br>about his feelings for someone... who? He wasn't sure… Ryou was making sure to  
>guard her name. This information was hurtful but trivial. He should have known<br>better to think that someone would care for him, and after the way he had  
>treated Ryou after Duelist Kingdom he was highly doubtful his hikari would have<br>any positive feelings towards him. "What 'personal feelings' are you so worried  
>about-worried enough to keep them from me, hikari-baka?" Bakura asked, he<br>slightly lowered his walls… wait… since when did he care about Ryou's feelings?

Ryou gulped and looked around the apartment, the carpet suddenly becoming highly  
>intriguing. It was a very nice shade of blue. Bakura glared at his hikari and<br>growled. The sound of Bakura's deep, low growl caused Ryou to jump. "Can we talk  
>about something else?" Ryou blurted out, his now famous blush returning. This<br>wasn't something he wanted to talk about... well, not with Bakura anyways. 'Oh  
>Bakura… I'm madly in love with you…,' Ryou was certain that would go over with a<br>bang, and he'd end up in a coma… Then he thought of something, "Hey… why do you  
>care anyways?"<p>

Bakura turned his gaze forward, looking toward the television... which wasn't  
>even working. But... why did he care? "So I can hurt everyone you care for so<br>that I may see you suffer?" He mused aloud. That wasn't the real answer… it was  
>a lie, because he couldn't say the real answer. He couldn't because he didn't<br>know the real answer. Bakura wasn't really sure of anything anymore.

"I-I… um… I'm mad at them… my friends I mean." Ryou paused as Bakura moved  
>closer. He nodded for Ryou to continue. "I mean… I'm supposed to be their friend<br>and what do they do? Go to America without me. They leave me here with... with  
>you! They haven't called, haven't sent a letter, and not even a post card. I'm<br>beginning to wonder if maybe… you were right." Ryou blurted out. He really was  
>mad at them… but he couldn't say he wasn't using this to cover up the other<br>feelings he was experiencing. Bakura was taken back by Ryou's hurtful comment  
>about him.<p>

"Of course I'm right. I'm the only one who will ever give a damn about you!"  
>Bakura announced, much to his surprise. That wasn't what he had been planning to<br>say.

While Bakura was mentally cursing himself, Ryou was in a state of shock. Bakura  
>had just admitted he cared about him… again. "Bakura-sama…," Ryou said under his<br>breath. He blushed again. He threw his arms around Bakura's shoulders, pulling  
>the dark spirit into a hug. "Thank you so much!" Ryou squealed gleefully. He<br>knew deep down that he would never fit into that group. Bakura hesitantly  
>returned the boy's hug.<p>

They spent the remainder of the day in each others arms, trying desperately to  
>stay warm while the temperature kept dropping. Both of them were surprised when<br>they learned that over three feet of the snow had melted away during the night.  
>How it had happened, they weren't sure. Bakura was especially happy, as he<br>hadn't sensed even a trace of the Shadow Realm.

Currently they were getting ready for bed, and they hadn't really talked much.  
>Ryou was trying to brush his hair, a ritual Bakura never took part in. Bakura<br>was busy trying to find a new comforter for his bed since the other one was  
>soaking wet. No thanks to the 'white rain' (AN: aka frost). After several  
>minutes of searching, he finally found one.<p>

Ryou quickly changed the comforter and they slipped into bed, completely  
>oblivious to the fact that they were being watched.<p>

An image of the sleeping Bakura and Ryou blurred over in a large bowl of water,  
>rippling the image away.<p>

"Mana… I think things are starting to fall into place." Kisara informed her  
>partner with a grin. Her long bluish-white hair, which hung past her shoulders,<br>blew about in the warm breeze.

"I agree… it won't be long now." Mana replied with a nod. "It's almost time for  
>the pharaoh to unlock his past. We should go back to the memory world… we can<br>finish this once we get back." She explained, hastily moving toward the swirling  
>portal of darkness. Kisara nodded and they both vanished into the portal leading<br>to the Memory World. Hopefully their betrayal of the pharaoh would remain  
>secret. They were helping the Thief King Bakura… the pharaoh's greatest<br>opponent.

~Bakura's Dream~

_He held his hikari in his arms, inside a void of darkness. The same darkness he  
>had been locked inside for 5000 years. The only light came from that boy he held<br>in his arms; the boy he was currently kissing so passionately. His hands rested  
>on his hikari's lower back. Finally after what seem liked hours they pulled<br>apart...it was funny how they weren't gasping for air like they should have  
>been. That didn't seem to matter though. As long as he held his hikari… the<br>light of his life, he would be all right. Hikari in the purest sense, for if not  
>for this boy he would be living in total darkness… trapped back within the ring<br>he hated so much._

"Bakura… I love you so much. I wish for us to be together…and... I swear I'll  
>never betray you again." Ryou said as he cuddled closer, their lips meeting once<br>again. Bakura could feel the passion coming from Ryou as he took Ryou's words to  
>heart. No more trips to the Shadow Realm, no more 5000 years of darkness… just<br>one last lifetime of light.

"Ryou… I-" Bakura was cut off when the darkness around them began to move. The  
>ex-pharaoh appeared in all of his leather-clad glory… much to Bakura's distaste.<br>Wait… this was his dream… why would the ex-pharaoh, the one man he hated most in  
>the world, be here?<p>

"To get Ryou, you stupid tomb robber." Yami Yugi said smugly. Both looked at  
>Ryou. Bakura's blood was boiling-the pharaoh-baka shouldn't be here, this was<br>his sappy fucked up dream.

"Wha-?" Bakura never got to finish. Ryou looked casually over at Bakura before  
>walking over to the pharaoh. Bakura watched as Ryou leaned forward and kissed<br>the ex-pharaoh. And just quickly as the ex-pharaoh came, they both vanished. The  
>light that his hikari had given off was gone. He, the greatest thief king ever<br>to live, was once again alone in the dark. He cursed… what in the name of Ra was  
>going on? His dream was become his nightmare. Suddenly Bakura was thrown forward<br>into a bright light. He closed his eyes quickly before he could be blinded, and  
>landed on the floor.<p>

Slowly he opened his eyes and wished he hadn't. His hikari was laying in bed…  
>the ex-pharaoh on top of him. Mere sheets covering the more intimate parts of<br>their bodies… thanks be to Ra for at least that.

Bakura watched, unable to break his gaze on the nauseating sight. Thrusting,  
>moaning, groaning, his hikari and the ex-pharaoh were having sex… and… he<br>watched… it was all he could do….

~End Dream~

Bakura's eyes snapped open as he shot straight up in his bed, gasping heavily  
>for air. He knew what the dream meant, he wasn't stupid. The pharaoh would take<br>his light (both ways) leaving him alone and in the darkness if he didn't do  
>something soon. But as to what he should do, he was unsure.<p>

Stupid rat's blood. He knew he shouldn't have drank it. Anything with sickly  
>puss oozing out of it wasn't safe to touch… let alone taste! That's what caused the horrible nightmare… yes... but still the thought was sickening. Ryou and spirit of the<br>puzzle? Ryou was his hikari… meaning Ryou would be in his bed, not the pharaoh's…  
>'<em>NO! Don't think like that… it's… it's… RYOU! But... he's my hikari! Not<br>the Ra damned pharaoh's. The pharaoh has his own pathetic hikari to have… Ryou  
>belongs to ME!<em>'

Bakura looked at the boy in question. Lying peacefully by his side-by his side,  
>though no one had ever been by his side before. Ryou was… but for how long?<p>

Wow, that was long!

= -15C is 5F (for all my American readers and those who use the Fahrenheit  
>system.)<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Power Outage  
>Chapter Title: Chapter 5: Dreams do come true<br>Rating: T  
>Pairing(s): Maybe Bakura x Ryou if they get together… Implied YYxR here and<br>there.  
>Warning(s): Yaoi, abuse, Bakura OOCness, Blood, cussing.<p>

Beta: Himitsu Dorobou (B/N = Beta's notes ^_~)

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh…

Please read the Author's notes… they are important… 90% of the time…

/Ryou to Bakura/

/Bakura to Ryou/

~ Scene/time change

'Thoughts'

~Day 4~

Bakura found himself staring at his hikari. He had been awake all night…after  
>all, with a dream like that, how could he sleep? He realized, after hours of<br>thinking, that seeing Ryou in the ex-pharaoh's arms had made him jealous, an  
>emotion he definitely wasn't used to. For a while he listened to Ryou's calm<br>breathing which was, as much has he hated to admit it, very soothing.

Bakura did a lot of thinking that night. He would've been lying if he said he  
>wasn't confused. Bakura was experiencing emotions he'd never felt before. Maybe<br>5,000 years in the Ring without human contact was the problem. Maybe he just  
>wanted company, or maybe he was just lonely. Maybe he wanted someone to tell his<br>stories to. A friend… but after hours of pondering that idea he realized that  
>what he felt wasn't friendship… even though he wasn't actually sure what it was<br>he was feeling. All he knew was that this was deeper than anything he'd ever  
>felt before–it was a strange new feeling and it gave him a strange and unusual<br>feeling, especially around his hikari… no, wait… only around his hikari….

Ryou stirred, tossing over in his sleep, and Bakura held his breath. What was  
>Bakura to say if Ryou woke up and found him staring? He was usually an expert<br>when it came to lies, especially on his feet, but lately things weren't working  
>in the lying department.<p>

Luckily for Bakura, Ryou didn't wake up. Once Bakura was positive that Ryou was  
>still asleep, he relaxed. Bakura was very worried that he would have said<br>something very blunt and honest. Honest wasn't always a bad thing… this just  
>wasn't a good situation in which to be completely frank. 'Oh Ryou, I had this<br>dream where you were being fucked by the pharaoh, I got really jealous, and  
>wanted to murder the bastard… then I started staring at you. Been doing that for<br>a few hours, actually.' Bakura thought, his mind flooded with sarcasm.

The spirit sighed and tried to think about other things. Like how different  
>things had become when he'd gotten his own body. Well, not actually a real body,<br>it was just…solid. The more mortals he'd sent to the Shadow Realm the greater  
>his power had increased, until it had been enough for him to form a body of his<br>own.

After Duelist Kingdom, Bakura made Ryou suffer psychologically and had continued  
>until he was finally able to make his own body. Then Ryou's suffering became<br>both psychological and physical. That was the punishment for betrayal. He had  
>let it slip the first time, mostly because Ryou was terrified. What would you do<br>if the voice in your head took over your body and tried to kill everyone?

Bakura now wondered whether or not to give his hikari a third chance. After all,  
>they do say third time's the charm, and he had to take into consideration what<br>his hikari had told him yesterday. Would Ryou betray him again? That was a  
>question only Ryou could answer. The question Bakura needed to ask himself was:<br>should he give Ryou the chance to answer that question?

Bakura glanced up at the battery-powered clock. It was four thirty-seven in the  
>morning… and much to his surprise it was starting to warm up. Bakura finally<br>rolled over and closed his eyes, hoping to get some sleep.

Bakura's eyes snapped open when he felt Ryou's finger trace down his back, his  
>body tensing up at the touch. "What do you think you're doing?" Bakura snarled<br>angrily. He wasn't use to physical contact, and he didn't like it either.

"I've never seen that scar before, Bakura-sama." Ryou commented softly, tracing  
>his finger along the scar that lined Bakura spine. Of course Bakura, wondering<br>what foolishness his hikari had thought of now, rolled over. "Oh my god…  
>Bakura-sama, what happened to your eye?" Ryou asked quickly, his voice taking on<br>a somewhat worried tone.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Bakura hissed, giving Ryou a strange  
>look, as if Ryou had just dropped in from another planet.<p>

"Under your right eye…." Ryou informed him, tracing the scar downward and then  
>across twice–a pattern Bakura was all too familiar with. Bakura raised his hand<br>to his cheek and traced the scar that had once made him famous back in Egypt,  
>but had no place on his body any longer. But sure enough, it was there–that scar<br>he couldn't remember receiving, but always remembered wearing. Then again, all  
>of his memories before and after his village was slaughtered were just blurs.<br>Yet now, all of the scars he wore back in Egypt had somehow returned to his  
>modern day makeshift body. "What's happening to you Bakura-sama?"<p>

The spirit was taken aback by this. His hikari-baka was worried about him? He  
>wasn't sure if this made him happy or not. Bakura was getting vastly pissed off;<br>everything was so fucking confusing.

Bakura felt a jolt of warm emotions searing through his body when Ryou's  
>delicate fingers brushed across his scar for a second time. "I don't know,"<br>Bakura murmured, "I really don't know." His gazed locked with Ryou's.

Heat quickly rose to Ryou's face, covering the pale creamy skin with a deep  
>scarlet blush. Bakura seemed to be staring down into his very soul in a highly<br>exhilarating, yet frightening, way. Ryou found his fingers tracing down Bakura's  
>face once more.<p>

Bakura's brain was screaming that this was wrong, but his cold, black decaying  
>heart was telling him something else–yet he wasn't sure what exactly that<br>'something else' could be. As much as he wanted to go with his brain, he found  
>himself listening to that heart he'd imagined long gone by now, and leaning<br>forward. Closer and closer to his hikari, while tilting his head a bit to the  
>side.<p>

Their mouths inched closer and closer with every second. Ryou couldn't believe  
>this was happening, that Bakura was going to kiss him. Ryou's heart raced as he<br>felt Bakura's breath on his lips. He had dreamed of this moment for so long, and  
>finally one of his deepest fantasies was about to come true.<p>

It was then that phone rang. "I thought you said the power was out." Bakura  
>pointed out, frowning, though he stayed where was–which just happened to be<br>about two inches away from Ryou's face. While Bakura was blessing the phone,  
>Ryou was silently cursing it with some words that would have rendered even<br>Bakura speechless–for a moment or two.

"It is… the phone works," Ryou replied, "even when the power's out. Emergency  
>reasons." he answered before crawling out of bed and running to answer the<br>phone.

'Stupid phone. Who would be calling me? If it's Yuugi or one of them I'm going  
>to scream. He was going to KISS me! Fuck!' Ryou though furiously. The phone<br>rang a third time when Ryou lifted it off the receiver. "Hello?"

"Mr. Bakura Ryou?" The voice on the other end inquired.

"Hai, how can I help you?"

"This is Mr. Nisemono's Office," The voice responded. "I'm calling about your  
>father's last will and testament."<p>

Ryou recognized that name. Mr. Nisemono was his father's lawyer. "Is there a  
>problem?"<p>

"Oh no, we just need to verify a few things with the next of kin."

Bakura remained in bed, thinking about what almost happened. Maybe following his  
>what was left of his heart wasn't such a great idea. He tried to tune into<br>Ryou's phone conversation via their mind link, but after catching bits and  
>pieces of what they were saying, he went back to thinking. It wasn't a very<br>interesting conversation, after all.

The Shadow Magic pulsed dully in his ears, like a second heart beat. It was  
>going to drive him insaner (was that even a word?) then he already was. He had<br>noticed that the white rain was disappearing, but it was still too deep to  
>venture outside.<p>

Bakura sighed, there were too many things on his mind. Ryou, the shadow magic he  
>was sensing, the ultimate Yami no Game, and so much more. It was too much for<br>his poor brain to handle at the moment, so the former thief king began with the  
>first topic that came to mind:<p>

Was this what he really wanted? He wasn't sure yet, everything was happening  
>much too fast and he needed time to think. Everything that had happened over the<br>last four days flooded into his mind–so much that it was extremely hard to sort  
>out.<p>

Bakura was snapped out of his private thoughts by Ryou's soft footsteps. He  
>relaxed when Ryou walked past the door. Things were quickly getting much too<br>complicated. Bakura crawled out of the warmth of his bed and grabbed the first  
>article of clothing he got his hands on. After changing out of his flannel<br>boxers, He slipped into the hallway where, luckily for him, Ryou was nowhere to  
>be seen.<p>

Thus began the game of hide and seek. Bakura's plan: hide and avoid Ryou; to  
>pretend the boy was the plague.<p>

Ryou felt horribly guilty. He knew that he'd tricked his yami into being nice to  
>him. Ryou knew that the chance of his starving to death or freezing to death<br>were slim to none, yet he had played those "fears" on Bakura. It was a bit  
>funny, because Bakura was so clueless to today's world and that he'd believed<br>Ryou. Then again, Bakura had every reason to believe him. In Egypt, Bakura never  
>had electricity to lose, nor had he been trapped in a violent snow storm before.<p>

Was what almost happened in Bakura's room a product of his trickery? He didn't  
>dare tell Bakura the truth. That really wouldn't be the smartest thing he could<br>do…but Ryou couldn't help but feel guilty.

Unfortunately for Ryou, he had opened his mind link.

/This isn't the time to go on a guilt trip… it's not like I can do anything  
>about it now.

Of course this thought caught Bakura's attention.

/Why would you need to feel guilty? Come on now hikari-baka, please do share./

Ryou swallowed hard; how was he going to explain this?

/I… I… umm… It's really pretty stupid and embarrassing, I'm sure it's nothing  
>that would interest you.

/I won't know until you tell me, and I want to know what you're trying to hide  
>from me.  
>Of course Ryou's honest side promptly took over.<p>

/I… umm… kind of over-reacted to the situation when the power died, and I didn't  
>realize until now that you used my over-reaction to make a decision. If I'd<br>known, I would have corrected you. Gomen Bakura-sama…/

Ryou now cursed his sheer honesty. One of these days, his honesty was going to  
>get him killed… by Bakura, most likely.<p>

/Is that so?/

/Hai…/

Bakura promptly blocked the mind link.

Ryou sighed and fell against the bathroom door. He couldn't believe he just  
>confessed that to Bakura! He was scared of what was going to happen when he<br>opened the bathroom door, and decided not to think about that until it happened  
>Ryou turned on the tap. He was surprised that the pipes hadn't froze yet. Once<br>the sink was filled with water, Ryou proceeded to wash up. Four days without a  
>shower was far too long.<p>

Ryou quickly scurried into Bakura's room, startled to find that Bakura was gone.  
>He'd been expecting Bakura to pound the crap out of him.<p>

Ryou grabbed Bakura's black sweater, pulling it over his head and arranging it  
>for comfort, before inhaling deeply. The sweater smelled like his yami. It was<br>then Ryou noted that it was a lot warmer then the days before. This was nothing  
>like summer warmth, but it certainly wasn't subzero any longer.<p>

Ryou glanced around the room, wondering where his darker side was. Why? Well, he  
>wasn't quite sure why he wanted to know… maybe he had a death wish?<p>

He left his yami's bedroom and walked around the apartment. Finally he realized  
>that Bakura was avoiding him. It was a game that played out all morning, Bakura<br>treating Ryou as if he was the plague. Ryou, however, had only one word for it:  
>strange.<p>

As afternoon set in, Bakura returned to the Millennium Ring to regain his  
>strength–his solid body drained him of energy. Depending on what he did, the<br>amount of time he stayed in the mortal realm varied from weeks to days.

Ryou felt like crying. He'd been so close to being kissed. Now Bakura seemed  
>uninterested. Was Bakura mad at him for over-reacting? Or did he just come to<br>his senses? Or was he playing another mind game? Or was Bakura waiting to kill  
>him?<p>

Ryou was now terribly confused. Bakura's behavior had become stranger by the  
>hour. Of course Bakura was always strange, a mystery. Sometimes Ryou would<br>question his yami's sanity, and at other times he believed his yami to be a  
>genius. After all, there is a very thin line between genius and insanity–however<br>Bakura was on both sides of that fence at the same time.

Alas, Ryou wasn't the only one who was terribly confused. Modern day Japan and  
>ancient Egypt were as different as night and day. Heck, he had to go a museum<br>just to read! And yes, he could in fact read. Unlike every other Egyptian that  
>wasn't a priest or priestess, or of course the Pharaoh, he could read and write<br>in his language. He had learned to read mainly because the tomb builders just so  
>happened to carve the locations of traps onto the walls. Morons really. This<br>secret was told to him by his father… before he was so brutally slaughtered by  
>the Pharaoh's guards. Just to be melted down into the Millennium Items. In the<br>name of the unholy Apep, for all Bakura knew he was wearing his family around  
>his neck.<p>

Bakura wandered around the Millennium Ring. It was quiet amazing that something  
>made from a village's blood and bones could be so… so what? What could he use to<br>describe this? Almost…godly.

His soul room was a reflection of his soul. Black. Evil. Frigid. Lonely. Rage.  
>Grief. Hatred. And yet, as of late his soul room had been slowly changing. It<br>was neither as dark nor as cold as it used to be. It's funny how people say hate  
>is a bad emotion… yet really it isn't … hatred can be a good thing. It's amazing<br>how much hate can drive you to do things you never thought you could or would or  
>were even capable of accomplishing. For example, his hatred for Atemu… and now<br>he was off topic again. He came here to think about his hikari… not the  
>ex-pharaoh!<p>

He wondered what his life would be like had he not sought to avenge his village.  
>Would he have had a family? A wife and perhaps a few children? Would he have<br>been a model, law-abiding citizen of Egypt? Would he have passed on into the  
>afterlife?<p>

Bakura scowled, realizing that he was off topic once again.

Of course he had to wait to make his decision, wait until his anger towards Ryou  
>had passed, and until he had thought everything through. He had been terribly<br>misinformed, and had made a decision on misinformation: the decision to help his  
>hikari. He really wanted to hurt his hikari, but knew he couldn't without<br>suffering from the intense pain.  
>Bakura was confused, there were things that didn't make any sense to him.<p>

He was immortal and yet he felt pain when he hurt Ryou. The jealously he felt  
>when he dreamed about Ryou and the ex-pharaoh…then again, the pharaoh was always<br>trying to take everything he had, so why would Ryou be any different? Not that  
>he had Ryou. The Shadow Magic that suddenly appeared when the power died… His<br>very sudden change in opinion on Ryou… And finally, how his former scars now  
>appeared on his modern day makeshift body.<p>

The last one wasn't too far out his grasp, and he came up with a pretty good  
>guess for that one. His power had increased so much that he could take on<br>certain physical characteristics he once had. Hopefully his power would continue  
>to increase until he was able to have his real body back, or at least one that<br>looked the same. Well that was his hope, and with the power of the Millennium  
>Eye increasing his power as well it would only be a matter of time until he<br>plunged the world into an eternal darkness.

The rest however… was far beyond a simple reasoning. He would need to do a lot  
>of thinking, and all he could do was start at the beginning.<p>

His thoughts were again interrupted by Ryou opening his mind link.

/–can't believe it, I can't believe Bakura-sama is the only family I have left…  
>and he isn't really even related to me… He's the only one I have left in the<br>world… and he hates me… heck, if I died tomorrow he would probably be happy…/

Bakura was growing quite annoyed. Didn't his stupid hikari know how to shut off  
>his mind link? Did his hikari-baka not realize he was trying to make important<br>decisions? Usually he didn't mind knowing every thought that ran through the  
>boy's mind, (AN: how little he knows… he doesn't know about the dreams and  
>fantasies… poor Bakura… BN: True, true… *laughs*) it made it easier to control  
>him. However, before he could stop himself, he replied with:<p>

/One. I don't hate you. Two. If you died I'd be very pissed off because I'd be  
>sealed back into the Ring

/Ba… Bakura-sama…/

/Now shut up and stop bitching, I'm trying to think and rest./

/Gomen… do you really mean that?/

/…yes…/

Of course Bakura was complete blind to the fact that the only reason he always  
>lost to Yami no Yuugi was because he and Ryou didn't work together as a team.<br>Bakura was also oblivious to the fact that having someone to love wasn't weak,  
>and would never make you weaker. He didn't know that having someone to fight for<br>really made you stronger. Love was, is, and always will be, the most powerful  
>force in the entire world, in the entire universe. That was Mana and Kisara's<br>mission: to open Bakura's eyes to these facts.

The sky grew darker as the sun sank beneath the skyscrapers and tall buildings.  
>The beautiful colors of the sunset painted the now-clear sky. It had stopped<br>snowing by then and was starting to warm up. At first, not much changed in the  
>Bakura household. The power was still out. Bakura was still in the Ring. Ryou<br>was still in shock.

Ryou had every reason to be shocked, as Bakura hadn't punished him since the  
>power died. Bakura did, however, admitted he cared about him, almost kissed him,<br>and let him share his bed. Along with many other nice things. All in all, Ryou  
>had to admit that Bakura's behavior was strange and out of character. Very out<br>of character. Maybe he really was changing. Maybe he'd just hit his head, or had  
>taken ill. Ryou hoped it was the first of the options. Bakura-sama changing…<br>would be like a dream come true.

Ryou poked at his supper with a dull fork. Leftovers from… he wasn't really sure  
>when, actually. He wasn't even sure if it was edible. Ryou looked at the unknown<br>meal. He was sure that whatever this material was, had come alive, and he could  
>have sworn that it winked at him.<p>

Suddenly Ryou didn't feel hungry anymore. He tossed the dish, his fork, and the  
>unknown meal into the garbage and wondered if the plastic garbage bag was<br>melting away from the vileness of that substance. Ryou shuddered at the thought,  
>and hurriedly left the kitchen.<p>

Ryou walked into the den to find Bakura stretched out on the couch. The spirit  
>had his eyes shut and looked as if he were asleep, though Ryou could tell his<br>yami was very much awake.

Bakura heard Ryou enter the room, and he then did something he'd never done  
>before. He threw all logic and reason to wind, not even knowing what he was<br>going to do or say. It was a sort of 'go with the flow' thing. He was leaving  
>all that crap up to fate.<p>

Bakura sat up and looked Ryou straight in the eyes. He wasn't quiet sure what it  
>was, but something swept over him, and to be completely honest he liked it.<br>Suddenly his heart, which he had been quite sure no longer worked, was starting  
>to pound in his chest. Why would his heart beat… after all, he was dead and<br>there wasn't much left to heart to beat.  
>Ryou walked over and sat down next to him, their gazes locked. Something deep<br>inside of Bakura told him that his moment was going change everything, but he  
>wasn't quite sure why or how.<p>

"Bakura-sama…." Ryou whispered, he could feel the blush rising in his face.  
>Bakura's gaze was so intense.<p>

"Shut up." Bakura growled mere seconds before he pressed his lips against his  
>hikari's. Ryou was so shocked he froze, but only for a moment. Ryou closed his<br>eyes and returned Bakura's kiss. It was at this moment Kisara's charm activated;  
>outside the massive apartment complex the snow melted away as if it were summer.<br>Inside their apartment, Bakura and Ryou were still lip locked. Bakura's hand  
>held Ryou's chin in place while his lips moved against his hikari's.<p>

When Bakura pulled away, Ryou was almost gasping for air and blushing like mad.  
>Ryou wondered if he was dreaming. No, this was better than any dream or fantasy<br>he'd ever had. Ryou was just happy he wasn't standing, because his knees felt  
>like jell-o. Ryou slowly opened his eyes, expecting to see Bakura. Alas, he was<br>faced with disappointment, as Bakura had returned to the Ring.

Ryou raised his fingers to his lips. Bakura's presence lingered as Ryou had  
>caught a small taste of Bakura's unique flavor. Ryou felt like he was in heaven<br>at the moment. 'No,' he thought, 'This is better than heaven.'

Bakura closed his eyes. All of this was so new to him; he'd never felt like  
>this. Then again, he had never gotten an opportunity to be with anyone. In Egypt<br>he was a wanted criminal and no one wanted anything to do with him. He had dealt  
>with it, and in fact he had been fine with it. Bakura always had more important<br>things to think about back then.  
>But now…now he had all the time in the world.<p>

Whatever he'd felt during the kiss, he liked. He wanted to feel it again. Bakura  
>was not ashamed of this, but he didn't dare reemerge from the Ring. The<br>overwhelming fear of rejection hit him full force. He wasn't afraid,  
>just…worried about the pain of Ryou's rejection. Combinations of 'what if'<br>flooded his mind.

What if Ryou is straight? What if Ryou really is interested in the ex-pharaoh?  
>What if Ryou tells everyone? What if…<p>

Bakura fell to his knees. How could something as simple as a kiss have such an  
>effect on him? Bakura fell into a cloud of confusion. Maybe this was all a<br>mistake. Yet how could it be a mistake, how could something that was 'wrong'  
>feel so right? Did that make it right? Or was this just another side effect of<br>the Shadow Realm?

"What the name of the almighty Anubis is going on here! Tell me!" Bakura yelled  
>angrily, punching the stone wall of his soul room. Thankfully he was a spirit;<br>had he been mortal his hand would have split open from the force with which he  
>hit the wall.<br>The walls soon faded in the swirl of darkness that surrounded him. The darkness…  
>his only friend. He sighed. What was he to do now?<p>

Ryou was finally able to walk again. He stumbled over to the window where they  
>had sat a few days ago… the first day Bakura had actually opened up to him. His<br>green eyes widened in surprise at what he saw. He quickly sent a mental nudge to  
>Bakura.<p>

/Bakura-sama… come out… you HAVE to see this!/

Ryou waited for Bakura's reply, but got nothing but a wave of cold emotions slip  
>through their mind link.<p>

/Bakura-sama!/

Ryou called again, still receiving nothing.

What Ryou didn't know was that Bakura was having a emotional and mental  
>breakdown inside the Millennium Ring. Bakura felt like he was trapped in a<br>kaleidoscope of thoughts, emotions, confusion, and darkness. It was totally…  
>overwhelming.<p>

/Bakura!/

Ryou closed his eyes and focused on entering the Ring. He stood between his soul  
>room's door and Bakura's own door. His door was pure white with blackish swirls<br>and a normal silver door handle.

Bakura's, on the other hand, looked like something right out of his late  
>father's museum. Ryou was sure it was made out of the same material as the<br>tablets there. Hieroglyphics ran down the large stone door, and in the centre of  
>the door was that creepy eye, the same eye that adorned the Millennium Items.<br>Ryou couldn't remember what it was called, even though Bakura had told him a  
>while back.<p>

Ryou walked over to Bakura's door. He hesitated slightly, usually he would never  
>be allowed to enter Bakura's soul room. He would be, as Bakura would say,<br>invading his personal space and interfering with his plans to destroy the world  
>and such like that. Ryou had always been punished severely when he dared to<br>venture into Bakura's room. Since the spirit was hardly ever in his soul room,  
>Ryou had no reason anyway to ever venture into the depths of Bakura's mind.<p>

Ryou pushed against the large stone door and it swung open slowly, with a loud  
>creak. Ryou peered into the room. The area closest to the door was lit by a<br>mysterious source of light which he couldn't seem to distinguish. Ryou gulped  
>and stepped in, feeling like he had stepped back in time. The room was entirely<br>made out of large stone bricks with hieroglyphics carved and painted from floor  
>to ceiling. The large stone pillars along the walls matched them exactly. Ryou<br>took a few cautious steps forward; the floor, walls and the light fading away  
>with each step he took.<p>

"Bakura-sama…?" Ryou called out timidly. He didn't even want to think about the  
>trouble he was going to be in. Ryou was about to turn around and leave, when<br>suddenly the door slammed shut and the lights were completely extinguished.

"I don't recall giving you permission to enter." Bakura snarled in his hikari's  
>ear. His hand was like a vice on Ryou's shoulder. The pale teen froze, his<br>entire body tensing up as he felt Bakura's hot breath on his ear. The spirit  
>appeared calm, cool, and collected on the outside–he always did–but on the<br>inside he was an emotional and mental wreck. Nothing seemed to make sense  
>anymore, and he found that he really didn't care.<p>

Bakura stood behind Ryou, and he was far from impressed. "Gomen, Bakura-sama,  
>but there's something you have to see," Bakura scowled, thinking of course it<br>was something stupid. He raised his hand to strike his hikari when Ryou added,  
>"could you wait until you see it before you hurt me?"<p>

"Fine…." Bakura growled angrily. Unbearable pain or not, Ryou's insolence would  
>not go unpunished. Bakura paused, feeling nothing… no searing pain, no shadow<br>magic, no anything… a sinister smirk flashed across the spirit's sharp features.  
>Ryou blinked his eyes a few times. He was standing in front of the window. He<br>hurried over to the door. He didn't have to wait long for Bakura to appear.

The spirit wanted to test his new theory, and smacked Ryou's head. The only  
>thing that happened was Ryou yelping. Bakura couldn't help but show off his<br>sinister trademark smirk. He and Ryou had four days of punishments to catch up  
>on. He watched, and winced as Ryou opened the door. He was expecting the harsh<br>temperatures and blowing white rain. Of course Bakura's expectations were  
>terribly disappointed.<p>

Bakura stepped out onto the front balcony and looked around. The sun was shining  
>brightly and the warm breeze caught his hair. Of course Bakura noticed none of<br>this. The first thing he notice was the grass. Yes, the grass, all the white  
>rain was gone. It looked like, and felt like, the middle of July. Bakura found<br>this to be odd, as just mere hours ago he had guessed the white rain to be  
>nearly three feet thick over the ground. Something wasn't right. The white rain<br>was gone, the shadow magic was gone, and best of all, the almost unbearable pain  
>was gone.<p>

The white haired yami was so wrapped up his thoughts that he jumped at Ryou's  
>touch. He glared at Ryou, whose hand was holding his tightly. It took him a<br>minute to realize the silent message Ryou was sending to him. Suddenly the  
>thought of beating Ryou senseless wasn't so appealing.<p>

Bakura looked away, he couldn't bring him to look at Ryou anymore as faint blush  
>spread across Bakura's face. Being as pale as he was, his blush really stood<br>out. Yet Bakura made no attempt to pull his hand away, in fact he did quite the  
>opposite. He tightened his grip on Ryou's hand, which was a bit smaller then his<br>own, before pulling the boy into his arms.

Mana looked at Kisara and smiled. "We did it," she laughed softly, "we actually  
>did it"<p>

Kisara shook her head in disagreement, "You mean they did it! We only helped  
>them find their way to each other" Kisara corrected before adding, "They are<br>now ready to being their journey"

"All the touzoku-ou needs to do is find the passage of time," Mana mused aloud,  
>adjusting her head cover. She had traded in her hat for the piece of cloth, much<br>to her current disappointment.

"I think we can help with that much, but first we need to make sure things don't  
>go back to how they were before"<p>

"Right!"

br

The crimson eyed thief finally gave up trying to figure anything out. He came to  
>the final conclusion that the Shadow Realm did what it pleased. It was magic,<br>and magic didn't always make sense. He turned his thoughts to the boy whose head  
>was resting on his right shoulder. Bakura slid his arms around Ryou's waist and<br>soon found himself playing with his hikari's long, white hair.

"Hikari-baka…" Bakura murmured softly to a very shocked Ryou, "thanks." The  
>words came out as nothing more than a mere whisper, so low he was certain Ryou<br>didn't hear him.

"Your welcome." Ryou barely managed to get the words out. Ryou was in shock; he  
>couldn't believe this was happening. Ryou hoped beyond hope that this wasn't<br>another one of his dreams. If this was a dream, he didn't want to wake up again.  
>Ever.<p>

Ryou opened his eyes and inhaled deeply. Bakura always seemed smell good. Maybe  
>it was because he was just a spirit using his own energy to make his body.<br>Whatever the reason, it certainly was a scent that he wouldn't mind spending the  
>rest of his life breathing in.<p>

Neither of them spoke for what seemed to be an hour. It was hard to tell when  
>almost all the clocks in the house were electric, and thus not working. They<br>just knew that they'd re-entered the apartment a while ago. Bakura was sitting  
>on the couch when Ryou sat down next to him, snuggling up against his arm.<p>

Bakura tensed at Ryou's sudden affection. "Hikari-baka…?" he questioned Ryou,  
>his eyes narrowed as he spoke. He wasn't sure how to react as he was in no way a<br>touchy feely guy. Never was, never will be, but he was terribly lonely… maybe  
>there was a connection here. By now, Bakura wasn't sure what his next move<br>should be. All this… was happening too fast. He still wasn't sure what was going  
>on.<p>

"Hai?" Ryou replied happily, almost beaming. Bakura had gone back to the way he  
>was before duelist kingdom… only more tense, yet there was no kissing or<br>touching involved back then…

"Uh… why are… err…" The spirit sighed, "when's the power coming back on?" He  
>couldn't get the original question out, so he asked a different one. What else<br>was he to do?

"Soon." his hikari mused slightly, glancing up at him. "Maybe tomorrow, at the  
>latest." Silence fell again. For Bakura, it had become a matter of pride and brain vs.<br>body, soul, and that no longer so black and decaying heart. For Ryou it was a  
>dream come true.<p>

'This just proves dreams do come true.'

"Bakura-sama, can I ask you something?" Ryou asked, finally breaking the  
>not-so-awkward silence.<p>

"That depends what you want to ask," Bakura replied absently. He cast his gaze  
>to the top of Ryou's puffy white mane.<p>

"Well, to be honest I have a million questions I want to ask you," Ryou paused  
>for a moment before finishing his sentence, "but I really want to ask what<br>happened between you and Yami Yuugi. I mean, there must be a reason you hate him  
>so much."<p>

Bakura sighed, this was a long story and one he never liked telling.

"Well 5025 odd years ago, give or take a few years, there was a small village,  
>my village. Kuru Eruna. One day the pharaoh's men came galloping into my home<br>and slaughtered everyone…" from there, Bakura recited the series of events that  
>happened right up until the day he died.<p>

Time flew by as Bakura told Ryou everything he could remember. He told Ryou how  
>the Millennium Items were created (and what they were created from). Bakura<br>guessed this made the most impact on Ryou who, after hearing the Millennium  
>Items were created from the dead bodies of the villagers, took off the Ring and<br>refused to put it back on ever again.

Bakura rolled his eyes and continued.

~3½ hours later~

"…and then I was sealed into the Millennium Ring where I waited for a suitable  
>host, my reincarnation– you–to release me." (AN: I'm lazy and it's too much of  
>a spoiler for those who haven't seen it all…)<p>

"Bakura-sama… I had no idea… I'm so sorry," Ryou mumbled shamefully. All this  
>time he'd thought he had a miserable life. Ryou curled up next to his yami,<br>resting his head against Bakura's arm.

Bakura's story really opened Ryou's eyes as to how lucky he was. It also  
>explained a lot, such as Bakura's day-to-day behavior. Hell, it explained<br>Bakura's entire character! Almost every question Ryou had wanted to ask his  
>darker side had been answered.<p>

Ryou glanced up at the battery-powered clock on the kitchen wall, which was  
>barely visible to him. It was now twenty-seven minutes after eleven, and Ryou<br>sighed and stood up. He stretched out his arms and legs before heading into his  
>own room, where he assumed he would be sleeping tonight, as it was now quite<br>warm.

Bakura followed his hikari, having assumed that Ryou would be sharing his bed  
>again. Not that he really minded now. Bakura didn't want anyone finding out, but<br>it was no longer something he was against. After all, he did say until the power  
>came up on... which it hadn't yet.<p>

"I guess I'm sleeping in my room tonight?" Ryou inquired as he pulled out his  
>last pair of clean pajamas.<p>

"I said you could share my sleeping quarters until the power came back on.  
>However, whether you do or not doesn't affect me. I really could care less what<br>you do." Bakura replied casually. The spirit seemed distracted and he was.

"Oh, then I guess… I'm going to… stay in your room… if it's okay with you?" Ryou  
>mumbled as he stared at the floor. It was a very interesting shade of white, and<br>was that a smudge of dirt?

Bakura just grunted and left, while mentally patting himself on the back. He  
>hadn't been rejected, for the first time in over 5,000 years. He also did<br>something else he hadn't tried in 5,000 years. He smiled.

End Notes:

I was going to write another chapter... but I think I wrote the prefect ending.  
>Keep an eye open for Heat Wave... (by the way... the story has nothing to do<br>with an actual heat wave...)

Yeah… I think I started Heat Wave years ago but never finished maybe someday I'll get around to it if I get lots of reviews asking me to. I do have some chapters done... so Review? And Thanks for reading! It's been a fun ride!


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys it's Tjay Here.. I was going to email you all and let you Know HEAT WAVE is currently being posted... I hope you'll check it out... This message will be up for the next 2 weeks and than I will remove it.

Thank you all for your support on this series! I hope you enjoy the adventure I'm going to take you on!

-Lots of Love

-Tjay M


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